The Sport of the Gods

Published in 1902, The Sport of the Gods is a fiction novel by Paul Laurence Dunbar. The story is about the Hamilton family, who is forced to leave their home in the South and move to the slums of New York City. The novel is significant for being one of the first to examine the harsh conditions faced by African Americans in inner cities. Dunbar is most well known as a poet, but he also wrote five novels, four short story collections, and a play, as well as lyrics for the musical In Dahomey.

Berry Hamilton is an emancipated black man living in an unnamed city in the South with his wife, Fannie, and their two children, Joe and Kitty. Berry works as a butler for a wealthy white man named Maurice Oakley, and the Hamilton family lives in a house on the Oakley property. It is a happy, stable life, and Berry is raising his children to dream big and believe themselves capable of great things.

This idyllic life is suddenly shattered one night at a dinner party. Maurice's younger brother, Francis, accidentally leaves the key sitting in the safe, and a large amount of money is stolen. Berry is soon blamed for the theft after it is discovered that there has recently been a large deposit made in his bank account. Despite the previous 20 years of trust and respect that has existed between the Oakleys and the Hamiltons, the Hamiltons are evicted from their house, and Berry is sentenced to ten years of hard labor after being found guilty in court.



Fannie tries to find work, but the white community wants nothing to do with the wife of a thief. She turns to the black community and is shocked to find herself ostracized there as well. It is revealed that many of the Hamilton's supposed friends were terribly jealous of their good circumstances, and now they are pleased to see the family knocked down a few notches.

Believing that a fresh start will be best, Fannie moves with the children to the Harlem area in New York City. Joe starts spending too much time at the Banner Club, eventually finding both a job and a girlfriend (Hattie Sterling, one of the club's entertainers). Kitty also starts working there after Hattie helps get her a job--something Fannie heartily disapproves of.

Joe, meanwhile, has descended into alcoholism, and things get so bad that Hattie breaks up with him. Joe flies into a rage and strangles Hattie to death. He confesses to the murder and is sent to prison. Fannie is tormented with the knowledge that both her husband and son are locked away. With few options left to them, Kitty convinces her mother to marry a man by the name of Mr. Gibson. The match is not a good one, however, as Mr. Gibson proves to be reckless and abusive.



Back at the Oakley house, Maurice receives a letter from Francis, who is dying in Paris. In the letter, Francis confesses to stealing the money himself and asks Maurice to have Berry released from prison. Maurice decides against it, as it will be an embarrassment to the good name of the Oakley family.

The injustice of Berry's situation is the subject of talk at the Banner Club, where popular opinion holds that he is innocent. The discussion is overheard by a reporter named Mr. Skaggs who seizes on the idea with the thought that it will be a hot story. He travels South to meet with Colonel Saunders, who also believes in Berry's innocence. Saunders explains that "a great change took place in Maurice Oakley" about four years ago. The previously social, friendly man has since become a recluse, and stranger still, this drastic change took place over the course of only 24 hours. He shares his theory that the money was never stolen but is instead kept in a "secret" pocket on Maurice's person at all times.

Mr. Skaggs next visits the Oakley home, where he lies his way inside by saying he has a message from Francis. Maurice, having been eaten away by guilt, is a shadow of the man he once was. When Mr. Skaggs sees that Maurice often clutches at his breast pocket, he says that Francis' message is for the old man to hand over the secret in his pocket to Mr. Skaggs. Maurice refuses, saying he must carry it to his grave, so Mr. Skaggs searches him forcibly, finding not money but the confession letter from Francis.



Mr. Skaggs publishes his article, and the evidence is used to set Berry free. Maurice goes mad, incessantly babbling about his secret to everyone and no one. Colonel Saunders, rather than feeling relieved that an innocent man is now out of jail, is only incensed that he was used in a plot to take down a fellow Southern gentleman.

Berry's joy at being released is unfortunately short-lived. He soon learns about Joe's imprisonment and his wife's new husband. Completely distraught, he makes plans to murder Mr. Gibson. He doesn't have time to follow through, however; Mr. Gibson is killed shortly thereafter in a brawl at a racetrack. Berry and Fannie reconcile and move back to their home in the South at the heartfelt urging of Maurice's wife, who desperately wishes to make amends.

Though it is no longer a happy life, the Hamiltons accept it because "it was all that was left to them." They spend their evenings holding hands on the porch, listening to Maurice's wild ravings from the Oakley's house across the yard.